Plasmid preps are to science what salt is to cooking. It’s so common that nobody notices, but nothing can be done without. There is no mention of this step in any published paper, nobody mentions them in any activity report, no comments are made on time spent on it.
But let’s face it: it takes time, as simple and as usual that it is. Some days spent, here and there. It’s so well planned in your weekly agenda, it’s such a habit, that you don’t even think about it. It’s just routine. When you’ve done a plasmid prep a couple of times, there’s nothing new to learn about it. It’s like riding a bike, once you know you don’t even notice any more.